Author 'Mimi' : A pink sands of the desert salt Chott el-Jerid The pink sands is an evaporite rock formed by crystallization of minerals soluble lenticular, and where the provision refers to the petals of a rose. The formation of pink sand from the evaporation of water infiltrated. These crystals are very often encountered in soft terrain (sand, clay), primarily in the deserts. The main mineral involved in this process is gypsum (hydrated calcium sulfate), but roses sand can also be composed of other minerals such as barite (barium sulfate).